Lexicon spermologos: Babbler, seed-picker Original Word: σπερμολόγος Strong's Exhaustive Concordance babbler. From sperma and lego; a seed-picker (as the crow), i.e. (figuratively) a sponger, loafer (specially, a gossip or trifler in talk) -- babbler. see GREEK sperma see GREEK lego NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom sperma and legó (to pick out, same verb as legó but with a different mean.) Definition a seed picker, fig. one who picks up scraps of knowledge NASB Translation idle babbler (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 4691: σπερμολόγοςσπερμολόγος, σπερμολογον (σπέρμα, and λέγω to collect); 1. picking up seeds: used of birds, Plug. Demet. 28; Athen. 9, p. 387 f.; especially of the crow or daw that picks up grain in the fields (German Saatkrähe), Aristophanes av. 232, 579; Aristotle, h. a. 8, 8, p. 592{b}, 28, and other writings. 2. of men: "lounging about the market-place and picking up a subsistence by whatever may chance to fall from the loads of merchandise" (Eustathius on Homer, Odyssey 5, 490 σπερμολογοι. οἱ περί τά ἐμπορία καί ἀγορᾶς διατρίβοντες διά τό ἀναλέγεσθαι τά ἐκ τῶν φορτιων ἐπορρεοντα καί διά ζῆν ἐκ τούτων); hence, beggarly, abject, vile (a parasite); getting a living by flattery and buffoonery, Athen. 3, p. 85 f.; Plutarch, mor., p. 456 d.; a substantive, ὁ σπερμολόγος, an empty talker, babbler (Demosthenes, p. 269, 19; Athen. 8, p. 344 c.): Acts 17:18. Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: There is no direct Hebrew equivalent for σπερμολόγος, as it is a specific Greek term with cultural and contextual nuances unique to the New Testament setting. However, concepts related to idle talk or gossip can be found in Hebrew scriptures, such as in Proverbs 18:8, where the term רָכִיל (rakil) is used to describe a talebearer or gossiper. Usage: The word σπερμολόγος appears in the New Testament in Acts 17:18, where it is used by certain philosophers in Athens to describe the Apostle Paul in a derogatory manner, suggesting that he was a proclaimer of strange deities and ideas. Context: In Acts 17:18, the Apostle Paul is in Athens, engaging with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. The term σπερμολόγος is used by these philosophers to describe Paul as he preached about Jesus and the resurrection. The word carries a connotation of disdain, implying that Paul was merely a collector of random ideas, lacking depth or understanding. This reflects the skepticism and intellectual pride of the Athenian philosophers, who viewed Paul's message as foreign and unworthy of serious consideration. Despite this dismissive label, Paul's discourse at the Areopagus demonstrates his profound understanding of both the Gospel and the cultural context of his audience. The use of σπερμολόγος highlights the tension between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God, as Paul later articulates in his letters, emphasizing that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but is the power of God to those who are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18). |
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